The present invention relates to helmets or other head gear with visors or face shields. The invention relates in particular to the mounting of a visor or face shield on a helmet for movement between open and closed positions.
Many types of helmets, such as those worn by motorcyclists and racing drivers, for example, have a visor or face shield which covers the front face opening of the helmet to protect the wearer's face and eyes. Typically, such visors are formed of a transparent material, such as a suitable plastic, and are typically pivotally mounted on the helmet for movement between open and closed conditions with respect to the front face opening of the helmet.
A number of different types of hinge mechanisms have been utilized for pivotally mounting visors or face shields on helmets. But many of these visors are freely rotatable and can be held in only fully open or fully closed positions.
It is known to provide detent-type hinge mechanisms which will permit the visor to be resiliently retained in a plurality of positions, including positions intermediate the fully open and fully closed positions, with only slight manual force on the visor being necessary to move it from one position to another. But such hinge assemblies which rely on a simple friction detent mechanism, may accidently be moved from a closed position to an open position, such as by excessive wind force, or from an open position to a closed position, such as by sudden shock or the like.
It is known to lock the hinge assemblies, but such locking devices typically use threaded means for tightening the hinge assembly. Such threaded locking means may become loosened in use from vibration or the like.
Furthermore, many prior hinge assemblies have not permitted easy mounting and demounting of the visor from outside the helmet. Such assemblies have either required access to the inside of the helmet to permit the visor to be detached from the hinge assembly, or have required the use of special tools or the like.